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Industry : Radio, TV & Films Functional Area : India
Activity:  4 comments  216 views  last activity : 07 06 2010 20:18:04 +0000
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A 12th passed entrepreneur from Guwahati, Kanak Gogoi, has over a dozen innovations, from gravity-operated bicycle to a car which can run on air. But he regrets the government's negligence towards scientific innovations, and refuses to commercialize any of his creations.



Another invention of Gogoi's is the speed breaker that can generate electricity simply when vehicles pass over it. A ramp under the speed breaker would absorb the static energy produced by the sheer mass of the vehicle and convert it into kinetic energy. This is, in turn, transferred into electricity and stored in a battery cell. A vehicle weighing one tonne can create electricity equivalent to one kilowatt. He also made a solar hybrid car, whose 320 watt battery is charged by solar panels and is powered by a 100cc engine. Another car that Gogoi made from integration of motorcycle and Maruti 800 engines, runs on air energy powered by a hand glider and can reach a maximum speed of 120 km per hour.

When Gogoi started the journey, he had two options; pay up his children's school fees or spend the money for his scientific innovations. He opted for the latter. In the past 13 years, he has spent Rs.1.5 crore (Rs.15 million) of his own money to satisfy his scientific and engineering curiosities, but steadfastly refuses to commercialize any of them and blames the government for not promoting scientific innovations, although only a few years ago he was making a hand-to-mouth existence. In fact it is the National Innovation Foundation, headed by noted scientist Raghunath A Mashelkar that applied for a patent on Gogoi's behalf for his gravity operated cycle, which converts gravitational force released by pedaling of the cycle into kinetic energy.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) offered to build a fully furnished lab for him in Guwahati. Chief Minister of Assam had granted him about 1.6 acres of land in 2007, but unfortunately, the file is still lying untouched at the local administrative office. Gogoi has a successful real estate business, which affords him the luxury of having enough spare money and spare time to concentrate on his engineering activities.

 
4 comments on "Techie builds air-car! Refuses commercialization"
  Commented by  Balaji Nagarajan, Sr Manager Market Research, GSS America Infotech Ltd    | 11 30 2009 12:05:47 +0000
Hi Isha - thanks for sharing good information

India is a long way from patronizing innovators and entrepreneurs which is why the brain drain happened in the first place. Its not the case of Mr. Gogoi alone, there are lot of IIT techies who had to leave india to other countries to pursue their ambitions and aspirations. 

Its time that either the Indian government or the successful business houses set up a center for innovation and fund these projects.
  Commented by  Sudhish Chatterjee, Product Development Manager, Motors    | 11 24 2009 11:05:16 +0000
Hats off to you man, you are one genius who knows how to get back on the lazy and corrupted govt. of India and i am sure that this will shake things up for the rest of the Indians as well and i must say with the intellect you also have the guts and i will urge all my country mates reading this article to forward it to as many as possible so that everyone can get to know how Indian govt. is ruining the immense talent that we have in our minds here.
I do appreciate your decision of not to give away your research by commecialising it but at the same time i would like you to come up with a way to bring this discovery on international news, coz this is really big and will not only get the international govt. to think about it, but will also put pressure on the lazy retards in the Indian govt. to do something about it. Also you can use your publicity then to get the land problem solved, which certainly will help many other aspiring candidates to have better education and many scientist would rather stay in India rather than flying to different counties coz no one cares for their talent here.
  Commented by  Sarika Singh, Assistant Professor, BIT    | 11 24 2009 11:02:59 +0000
Dear Gogoi,
We are proud of you, because of people like you we still have a ray of hope to become super power India. Keep up the good work. Certainly, your work is a feat worth applauding. Many a great achievements & discoveries would have never been known to the masses, if they had been only for the glory of the individual who discovered. The masterpieces would rust in their own private closet.
Mr Gogoi, I truly appreciate your value system, for disagreeing to commercialize, but think of the consequences - your discoveries holds a lot of potential for the current crises which the world is facing. Your vehicles and designs are all based on environment friendly sources and your knowledge can definitely help many in advancing this science and also give a pollution free environment.
You are given with a power to build better things, you may not en-cash, but at-least do not deprive the world of your knowledge. 
  Commented by  Kailash Sharma, Product Development Manager, Force Motors    | 11 24 2009 11:00:11 +0000
I don’t understand why our government has not established a university / board or an institution, where in all the innovative people's talent is recognized and taken to the next levels and best utilized the talent of our own home country people. This is a issue which need to be resolved by which lot of people are not coming under limelight. We vote for politicians by keeping hope that they will do better for future but our politicians are struggling to work on present issues.

And about the speed breaker electricity, this kind of thing should be put on the parks where people are coming for joging to loose energy...here car will loose energy(petrol) to over come the friction caused by the mechanical device he using.Some one has to loose energy so that others can gain..good that people are thinking
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